Car-coupling



(NOMOdel.)

P M. RARIDBN.

GAR GOUPLING.

' No. 377,689.' Patented Feb. 7, 1888.

i: lll

WITNESSES INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT Ornicn.

FRANCIS MARION RARIDEN, WAYNETOVVN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALFRED R. HEATH, OF COVINGTON, INDIANA.

CAR-c'ouPLlNe.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 377,689, dated February 7, 1888.

Application nien october is, 1881. serial No. 252,242/ (No model.)

I either from the top or 'sides of the car, and-in case of accident they are automatically uncoupled. l

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side'elevation o f the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.v Fig. 3 is a horizontalseo tion of the same.

The letters A and B designate the upper and lower halves of the ldraw-head. The former is provided at the forward end with the opening G and at the rear withithe perforation D. It'is further provided upon the inner surface with the slot E, which extends from the said opening to near the said perforation D at the rear. Thelatter of the said halvesis provided atthe rear of the said draw-head with the raised level F, which extends back'under the .perforation D in the said upper half. At the v rear of the said raised level isasecond raised level7 G, upon which the upper half, A, of the draw-head rests. To the rear ,of the raised level 1s the head H, the upper surface of which 1s iiush with the top of the half A of the draw-head.

Mounted upon the level F are thetwo guides Suspended between the said guides upon the pivotal bearings L is the lever L. The said lever consists of the beveled apron L2 and the lever-arm L', which extends to the rear of the said pivotal bearings L, to produce a long stroke for a slight movement of the apron. Attached to the rear of the said lever-arm is a cord, M, which passes over apulley, N, suspended in the said channel K, and divides into 5o two cords, M, leading around pulleys O and P l to the rear ends of the .arms R of the coupstopping-bumper V, is a Startingbumper, V

I I, which form the channel K between them.

ling-jaws R. The said jaws Rare mounted in the draw-head just in front of the apron L2, and work in and out of perforations in the side'of the said head. Passing back between the halves 55 ofthe draw-head`are the arms R. Thevsaid arms are pivoted midway between the said halves by means of the pins S S, which pass through perforations provided in the same. As hereinbefore stated, to the rear of these arms are attached the cords M; also, attached to the rear ends of the said arms are the cords T, which pass around the vertical pulleys N, and joined from the one cord T, which passes out at the perforation D in the upper half of the draw-head: Tol the rear of the saidy pins S, and seated in the sides of the said guides I I,are spiral springs,which bear against the said arms R and tend to keep the jaws R closed.

The two halves of the draw-head are secured 7o together by means of the bolts U, which pass through and bind them together. Upon the upper half of the said draw-head is a stopping-bumper, V, and upon the lower half of the said' draw-head, to the rear of the sai/d 75 They are placed on either side of two bars passing crosswise of the carand fastened to the sills thereof. In the head Hisaslot, H. Passing through the said slot is a ban-which is at-y 8o tached tothe sills of the car. Play is allowed in all theconstruotions herein set forth,as the starting and stopping strain is taken up by the spring W. The said spring is secured in a perforation in the rear of the head H by means of the pin W and tothe car, as desired.l

The coupling-linkX is shaped substantially as shown, with Athe barbed heads X adapted to be caught bythe jaws R. The said heads are further supplied with the perforations X2, 9o by means of which the said link is secured to a car provided with the ordinary draw-head, when coupling a car provided withithis' invention, in which case the said link is fastened in the old-style draw-head first. The front of the draw-head is further p rovided with the perforations Y, by means of which the ordinary coupling pin and link can be used.

, The operation of the invention in coupling rco is as follows: ThelinkXi's placed in the drawhead onone of the meeting cars. The said cars are then bumped together, driving the free end of thelink into the jaws R of the opposite car, which immediately close upon the same behind the barbs and hold the said link, thus coupling the car.V In uneoupling, the operator 'grasps the cord T and pulls the same. In doing so the cords T are pulled around the pullcys U, and draw the ends of the lever-arms R in openi ng thejaws Rand uncoupling the cars. The cord T may be carried to the sides or to the top of a car, as desired, and the coupling operated from that point. The lever L only operates in case of accident, when the cars would fall one on the other, as in going over an embankment. Vhen this takes place, the cars bend in the couplings. Vith this coupling,when this occurs, the barbed head of the link X is forced upv against the apron L2 and raises the same. As the apron L2 is raised the lever L turns upon the fulcrunl L and bears the rear end down, drawing the cord M over the pulley N and the cords M around the pulleys O and I). This action draws the rear ends of the arms R, to which the cords M are attached, in and opens tlicjaws R', allowing the. end of the said link to escape.

As the barbed head of the link forces up the apron it is forced forward by the beveled face of the said apron and out between the jaws R'.

In a car-coupling such as described, the combination of coupling-jaws provided with arms pivotally secured in the draw-head of the said coupler, springs bearing against the said arms to the rear of the pivots, a lever fulcrnmedin the said draw`head and provided withl an apron resting behind the said coup` ling-jaws and adapted to be raised by the tilting of the coupling-link, and suitable connections between the rear ends of the said lever and of the said arms, substantially as described, whereby when the end of the said lever behind the couplingjaws is raised the rear end is depressed and the rear ends of the said arms drawn in.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS MARION RARIDEN.

Witnesses:

EDWARD KELLY, J oI-IN S. TAYLOR. 

